The prime minister hopes to get face time with Donald Trump “soon” after playing down the US president’s decision to cancel a highly anticipated one-on-one.
Anthony Albanese’s plan to meet Mr Trump on the last day of the G7 Leaders’ summit in Canada’s Alberta province was upended when the president left early due to the escalating situation in the Middle East.
But the two may not have to wait long for their next opportunity.
Mr Albanese said he was considering attending the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation summit at The Hague, where the president is expected to appear at the end of June.
“We’ll meet soon and I’m sure that will occur,” he told reporters in Calgary on Tuesday local time (Wednesday AEST).
“From time to time, meetings are rescheduled – that’s what happens.
“There’s important things happening and that’s understandable at the moment.
“I’m mature about these things.”
The prime minister was scheduled to meet with the leader of the free world on Tuesday afternoon, but 24 hours before their first face-to-face Mr Trump revealed he would leave the G7 summit early.
The event would have been Mr Albanese’s first in-person opportunity to try to negotiate a tariff exemption as Australia’s exports to the US continue to be hit with a baseline 10 per cent tariff and its steel and aluminium products incur a 50 per cent levy.
Instead, the prime minister had two meetings with members of the president’s senior economic team.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer met with Mr Albanese and Australia’s ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd.
They discussed trade, tariffs, and Australia’s critical minerals and rare earth minerals, which could be used as a bargaining chip.
After the Pentagon launched a review into Australia’s nuclear submarine deal with the US and UK, the prime minister was also expected to advocate for AUKUS in his meeting with Mr Trump.
There is some hope the US won’t try to mothball the deal after Mr Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer backed the agreement following their bilateral meeting.
Many others in attendance at the summit had also lined up chats with Mr Trump.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum was also hoping to have her first in-person talk with Mr Trump, but spoke to the president on the phone after her meeting was cancelled.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had scheduled discussions with the US president on Tuesday.
The diplomatic show continued without its biggest star.
Mr Albanese’s talks with other world leaders went ahead, with the prime minister also holding conversations with Japanese President Shigeru Ishiba, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the UK prime minister.
But the absent Republican and his controversial policies continued to cast a shadow over other discussions.
“We’re a trading nation and a theme that we had in all of those discussions was the support for free and fair trade, as well as the support for economic growth at a time which has been turbulent,” Mr Albanese said.
The prime minister also met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Secretary General Mark Rutte in recent days.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley agreed Mr Trump’s decision to leave was reasonable, but said the government shouldn’t have “merely” relied on meeting with the president on the sidelines of the international summit.
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